Hey Gang!

 

Hope y’all enjoyed the sun this weekend – and that if you were out yesterday you got to catch some eclipse action – even if it was just the eerily darkening sky. There is something powerful about communally sharing an awe-inspiring experience. I enjoyed that sensation – even through the clouds!

 

Lately I’ve been thinking about making things harder vs. making things easier. We often shift back and forth in life between Hard Mode and Easy Mode, sometimes with less intention than we should. I was listening to Shane Parrish on The Knowledge Project, and he views certain habits as setting yourself up to play on Hard Mode. For instance he tells his kids: if you stay up late playing video games, don’t give yourself enough time to study for your test and then don’t eat a good breakfast, you’ll be playing on Hard Mode all day. Wouldn’t it be better to cruise along on Easy Mode by getting good sleep, eating well and being prepared? I’ve been mulling this over as I move through my days. Am I playing on Hard Mode? Obviously I want the hard things I choose to do to come more easily – but I think it’s ok to intentionally switch modes.

 

Last weekend my group tempo took place just before the Spring Run Off on the same course, so our usual loop was off limits. We had to choose a bigger, MUCH hillier loop. Tempos are hard enough flat. When entering the last 3 minutes of a section up a 2 minute steep climb, it can feel very defeating. Our tempo pace averaged 10 seconds per kilometer slower than when we run them on flatter ground. That was definitely Hard Mode. But here’s the thing: every now and then, when you shift to Hard Mode and still complete the task, it gives you that much more confidence and ability when you go back to Easy Mode. You can’t live your whole life on Easy Mode. Nor should you constantly be on Hard Mode. You have to switch back and forth. The key is to be aware of which mode you’re on.

 

I like to embrace Hard Mode sometimes. I’ve been playing Sodoku again lately. I can choose between Easy, Moderate, Hard, Expert and Extreme. I choose the level that is not easy for me (currently Expert). I make mistakes and I don’t always win. But playing on Easy Mode is not fun or satisfying. I just need to know which setting I’m on. This applies everywhere. If you were up all night with work or a kid and you’re in the middle of a hectic week and maybe haven’t been eating great: your runs will be on the Hard Mode setting. That doesn’t mean don’t get out there. It just means you have to evaluate them differently. Your wins will come with more effort but perhaps they’ll feel more rewarding. And then when you go back to Easy Mode, you’ll be sailing! That’s fun too.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We’re back to hills, but Boston and London marathoners will have something slightly different.

 

Hills people – Riverdale/Leslieville peeps meet at Pottery, Beach peeps meet at Glen Manor. Pottery crew arrives anytime between 6:10-6:30 (ish) and just gets into it. Beach crew meet at the bottom of Glen Manor at (?? Message Tanis).

 

The workout: 1 full Pottery (400m), 1 Half Pottery (200m), 5 min tempo. Repeat 3-4 times.

 

Boston Marathoners: 1 mile @ Marathon pace, 90 sec rest, 2 x 400 @ faster and smooth w 90 seconds, 800m @ Marathon pace

 

London Marathoners:

1 mile @ Marathon pace, 90 sec rest,

400-600-800-600-400 w either 1:15 rest or 200m jog if you need to get to the next start spot – ranging from 5K to 10K pace

90 sec rest, finish w 1 mile @ MP

 

I will be at Pottery sometime around 6:20-ish!

 

See you in the am 🙂

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Hi Everyone!

 

Some really great runs over the weekend: at Around the Bay we had Colette, Carol and Brianna who all ran solid 35.4K PB’s! As I said to some of them – awesome resilience and attitude with being able to “go with the flow and a positive attitude” with the ever changing (increasing!) distance on a very challenging course. I know we had other teammates out there supporting our runners – love that too. Also, in international news, Jasmin Paris became the first woman ever to complete the Barkley Marathon (an insane event which I won’t explain here but you have to look up). The race director had said that no woman would ever complete it because they were not strong enough. Way to go and thank-you Jasmin. You have forged a path so other women can believe in themselves and can achieve great things when others are telling them they don’t and they can’t.

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is what does drive us to do very hard things, and keeps us going despite challenges and difficulties. I see some people living their lives this way – undertaking big challenges and thriving in circumstances which I feel would make me crumble. And I myself have times when I’m invigorated by hard things and have felt most alive when pursuing them. What I think marks the difference between these things making us stronger and happier vs battled and defeated, is the passion and purpose we bring to them. If I were asked tomorrow whether I wanted to try the Barkley Marathon for ‘fun’, I would probably say – sure! Great experience. And then quickly decide after a lap (if I made it that far) that it wasn’t worth it and drop out. What allowed Jasmin to dig through her deepest pain and remain engaged and motivated and feeling like it was something she wanted to do? It was her deep passion and belief in the personal value of reaching her goal. This type of passion doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere, and it’s not an endless resource. My guess is that in a year, Jasmin won’t have the same passion and drive to complete it again. She also probably didn’t wake up one day with the courage and belief she could do it. She probably fostered the passion through training and dreaming and investing and building towards it. Passion doesn’t just land on you and strike out of the blue. Sometimes we have to work towards it.

 

I can think back to times in my life when I’ve had that energy – the belief in the pursuit. I’ve gone to bed excited about waking up early the next morning to train. I’ve taken on work roles where I’ve gladly driven hundreds of kilometers, stayed up late, woken up early, been on the road for days in a row, given presentations which scared me. I look back at some of these things and think “I could never do that now”. But the thing is, it’s only hard if you don’t care about the pursuit or the outcome. If you have a passion for what you’re doing, nothing feels all that hard. Or at least, the hard feels good. It’s the same with training. When you’re running with no passion, it is very hard to call up the same effort levels and enjoyment in the work as when you’re running with a dream and purpose. This is not to say you always have to have that passion – we all go through times when we’re just putting one foot in front of the other while other areas of life take precedence. Just don’t undermine the mental and emotional components. If you’re not feeling the passion, don’t measure yourself against people who do, or even yourself when you have it. It’s very different. 

 

I’ll be honest – I’ve found myself a little drained of passion the past few months. I’ve been in survival mode in various areas, and that’s taken most of my mental and emotional resources. And running has felt hard and a bit directionless. But I’m feeling myself coming out of it. Things are settling down, and I’m starting to feel the glimmer of excitement about certain challenges. Now it’s up to me to foster that feeling and nurture the passion and make it grow. My ability to do hard physical things is not at all about training my body to do them – it’s about convincing my mind that it’s worth it. Just something to think about.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – back to Lakeshore and Leslie! 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO!!!

 

Many of us are in the phase of a marathon build where we could use some meat ‘n potatoes 800’s. So let’s do those.

 

1. 6-8 x 800 w 1:30 rest. The first couple can be HM pace, then let’s see if we can work our way down to 10K pace.
2. If coming back from ATB, listen to your body. Do the lower end, and keep them at tempo. That is if the aches and pains are mostly quiet.
3. If doing this by time: 6-8 x 3 min Hard w 1:30 Easy.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Hey Gang!

 

Happy March Break to all! As such, I am on holiday so won’t be there for workout and not writing much of a post. Except to say, I am truly relishing the full detachment and break from my everyday routine and responsibilities, and am already feeling refreshed and ready to get back at it when I return. Even if you’re not “training” for anything, I think it’s still a good idea to disengage and take a break from your routine every now and then. Sometimes with space comes a different perspective: maybe you realize how much you love the routine you have and you can’t wait to get back. Maybe there are a few things you can change or let go of, or some things you want to bring back with you or add. It often takes a bit of distance to see and appreciate things more clearly. So whether you are physically getting away or not, try to create some space for yourself. Breaks can really help. And I don’t mean a day or two. This is different from a “down week”. Give yourself a week of completely different activities and routines. Step away from what you normally fall into and force yourself to do something different for a week. If you’re at home, maybe that’s a routine of jumping in the lake with the sunrise swimmers instead of a run. Or making the drive somewhere with trails for a hike. Or radically sleeping in and taking yourself out for breakfast. But do this every day for a week – it has to be a mental break as well. No guilt, no “should be doing”. You shouldn’t have to spend money to be able to transport yourself away and get some perspective. We all deserve a break – you may not need it right now, but if you’re putting it off, make sure to take it at some point soon. It will help.

 

For tomorrow! Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 Drills, 6:15 GO!

 

I won’t be there and I think a few people will be away. If someone knows where the 400m mark is and can signal it with something that would be awesome. If it’s warm you can drop a toque or jacket – anything will work.

 

1. Start with 1 mile tempo. 2 min rest. Then 3 sets of 4 x 400m. First set @ 5K pace w 1:00 rest. 3 min bw sets. Next 2 setw with 1:15, couple seconds faster.
2. If doing this by time, 6-8 min tempo, 2 min easy, 4 x 90 seconds ON, 60 seconds easy, 3 min easy, 4 x 90 ON, 1:15 easy, 3 min easy, 4 x 90 seconds ON, 1:15 easy. OR if it’s easier, 6-8 min tempo, 2 min easy, 3 sets of 5 x 1 min ON, 1 min Off, 3 min bw sets. I’ll prob do that one bc more simple.

 

That is all – I won’t see you but have a great one!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Hey All!

 

Spring is in the air, and with that the scent of spring races is noticeable. Starting off this weekend with the Chilly Half. Some are racing it, some are training through, but it’s always a great way to “wake up” from winter and decide where we want to take our training for the season.

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is the ability to ask for support. I’ve always thought that “distance runner” is a personality type more than a chosen activity. Whether our sport has shaped us, or we’ve been drawn to it because it suits us, we do tend to exhibit some similar characteristics. Among these are independence and self-reliance. We know that when we’re out there, training or racing, it’s really us vs. us, and us with us. We show up for ourselves, learn to trust ourselves, and spend a lot of time in our own heads.

 

I’ve been at a lot of track meets lately. If you’ve been to any track meets, you’re probably familiar with the Jumper’s Clap. It’s the slow, rhythmic clap that jumpers (triple, long, high, pole vault) do above their heads before taking off. The crowd and fellow competitors immediately join in, and everyone within earshot starts clapping slowly. The jumper then prepares themselves and builds into a sprint before taking off as the clapping cadence increases all around them to help propel them forwards or up. The jumpers are basically saying “hey, help me out here” and everyone does. Now, there is a lot going on at track meets, and often I’m not even looking at the jumper or I’m continuing on with a conversation I’m having, but I always participate in the clap. When someone asks for support, you’re more than happy to support them. And jumpers are very good at asking for support.

 

I’ve always admired this about them. Sure, it’s ballsy. It’s very “look at me … here I go!” But why not? It’s so different from most distance runners. But I think we could take an example from this. We can learn to ask for support when we need it. People around us want to support us if they know how. This is why I tell people to let others know of any big goals. Bosses, colleagues, family members can all inadvertently put up barriers to you trying to get your shit done, but if they are aware of a big goal, more than likely they will want to support you. So put it out there. Tell everyone you’re training for a marathon or to run a PB in the 5K … whatever it is. Most peoples’ natural instinct will be to assist you in getting there. The trick is, you have to start clapping for yourself first. Then they’ll all join in.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We’re a bit divided here. People still working on strength and a solid base with some pep are doing Hills + Tempo. People racing or training through the Chilly Half this weekend will do a little more specific prep work.

 

1. Hills: I think a lot of ppl liked the last one (myself included), so let’s repeat it. You can add a set if feeling a little stronger. 2-3 sets of 2 x Pottery rd (or 400m hill), walk to tempo spot (~ 1 min), 4 min tempo.
2. If racing Chilly: 600 at race pace, 2 min rest, then 4 x 400 a lil quicker w 1:30 rest
3. If training through Chilly (ie. Executing a solid training run): 2 x 800 @ half marathon pace w 1:30 rest, 2 x 600 @ 10K pace w 1:15, 4 x 400 @ 5K w 1, 1 x 800 @ half marathon pace – 2 min bw all sets. This is to set you up to find a good marathon pace rhythm in the race that you can stick to.

 

That is all – see some of you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Hey Everyone!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow for those who celebrate. And Happy eating chocolate day for those who celebrate that!

 

As most of you have probably heard, the marathon world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum, died tragically in a car accident the other day, alongside his coach. Kiptum had recently run the world record of 2:00:35 in the Chicago marathon, and was expected to be the first person to break 2 hours in a legitimate marathon. The news of Kiptum’s death is sad on many levels. He was young, had years of great things ahead of him, and had a close circle of family and friends who will miss him very much. But what we as runners are also collectively mourning is the loss of a model of our potential. Maybe not us personally, but what is humanly possible. When we see someone out there doing something we didn’t think was possible, it can lead to a sense of awe. It is also inspiring. These are positive feelings which are energizing and motivating and then lead us to take action. We are raised up by people who lead in this way.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: each one of us fills that role for someone else. You probably will never know who or how many people you inspire and raise up that way, but our actions are noticed. Obviously we’re not inspiring everyone. But there is someone in your boat who doesn’t think they can do ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ is), and sees you doing it and it pulls them up. It might feel like there’s no way our little plod in the dark hours or our non-PB time, which doesn’t even feel like a great accomplishment to ourselves, can make anyone take notice. But people do. Maybe it’s your neighbours or a colleague or someone walking to work or someone watching the race go by. And maybe that person can identify with your particular stage or struggles in life. And for that person, you are a beacon of what is possible. I know I’ve been inspired by people in this way. People who probably think they are just ordinary and going along doing their ordinary things, but I recognize a sister in what she is challenged by, and see her reaching for goals or doing big things despite it all, and I think, “it’s possible”, so I go out and try too. There are Kelvin Kiptum’s out there raising people up in their own way every day. And most likely we are all that person for someone as well. I find that to be good motivation when I’m getting discouraged or feel like I’m climbing an uphill battle. Someone else is probably going through a similar stage, and could use a little shot of self-belief. RIP Kelvin Kiptum – you inspired us all.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout: Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 Drills, 6:15 GO

 

Let’s get back to some meat n potatoes 800’s. Up to 8 of them with 1:30 rest.

Start at threshold pace (somewhere between half marathon and 10K pace). I think most of us should stay there for now. If you’re feeling great you can pick it up for the last couple. If you’re not feeling great, do 6 and keep them closer to tempo pace. There are a lot of range options in this workout and they are all solid!

 

That is all – see you in the am.

 

xo

 

Seanna